Bastards of the Party

Documentary, Urban

A comprehensive history of the growth of gang culture of Los Angeles surveyed by former gang member Cle Sloan. Raised in the Athens Park, L.A., Cle "Bone" Sloan was four when his father died, and 12 when he became a ...more

A comprehensive history of the growth of gang culture of Los Angeles surveyed by former gang member Cle Sloan. Raised in the Athens Park, L.A., Cle "Bone" Sloan was four when his father died, and 12 when he became a member of the Bloods. Now an inactive member of the notorious gang, Sloan makes a powerful call for change within contemporary gang culture with this documentary: Haunted by his personal involvement in the gang's pervasive culture of violence, Sloan wanted to explore where it all began. The film is a chronological history of the development of black gangs in Los Angeles from the late 1940's up to the brief truce between the Crips and Bloods that followed the Rodney King riots in 1992. As Sloan continued his research he discovered that the roots of black gangs were nurtured within a distinct political landscape. From the Spook-hunters, the Farmers, the Slauscons, the Businessmen, the Gladiators, Sloan follows a trail that covers the politically charged atmosphere of the '60s and '70s through to the breakdown of community in the '80s and '90s. Interviews include: past and current gang members from the Bloods and Crips; notable L.A. historian Mike Davis; former FBI agent Wes Swearingen; and Geronimo Pratt, former Black Panther Party's Minister of Defense.